


The Last Reel

by MagieFish



Series: Imagineered Abominations [27]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Based off Chp 5 acheivements, Gen, Plenty of theories, Self-harm Warning, Swearing, Theories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-05-20 05:43:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14888714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagieFish/pseuds/MagieFish
Summary: Just ideas for what could happen in Chapter 5. There will be an explanatory chapter along the way.(Also Henry, is the perfect Bendy in this.)Previously titled Chapter 5 Ideas.





	1. Standing Proud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry knew something was wrong.....

Henry stared in the mirror. Tom stood close by, just watching. Henry had suspected that something was wrong since he woke up. He was too cold, and too fast and just wrong. He had lost his glasses yet he could still see. And Allison and Tom had rushed him off like he was some precious object.

And now, the truth was staring him in the face.

His skin was the same colour as everything else, a lifeless pale yellow. His eyes were yellowed too, lacking the beautiful curious green he once possessed. His hair had no grey strands and the sides stuck up like horns. He now possessed a bow tie and his trousers and jacket were black. It was all **wrong.** Henry slowly extended a shaking hand to the mirror. He touched his hand. **His** white hand with little ovals on the back. He felt himself shaking more as his breathing sped up. It was awful. **He hated it.** His heart pounded against his chest, a signal that he was still alive. Alive to suffer and wander endlessly. _**Why?** Why? Why me? Why me of all people!? What about Linda!? How is she going to manage!_ _! And Barney!!! He’ll blame himself!!! He’ll live with guilt for the rest of his life!!!! And Charlotte!!! She’ll have to hold everyone together like she always does!!! But what if she can’t!!! She’ll get pulled apart!!!!!! EVERYTHING WILL FALL APART!!!!!!_ **BECAUSE OF ME!!!! ME BEING TOO STUPID TO FOLLOW LINDA’S ADVICE!!!!!!** Henry’s grip tightened on the sink. His hand curled into a fist and his breathing became heavy. _WHY!!!!???? WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????? IT’S ALL MY FAULT!!! IT’S ALL MY FAULT I’M LIKE THIS!!!! I HATE IT!!!!! I HATE MYSELF!!!!!_ Henry let a scream of rage escape him as a shattering sound echoed through the room. He looked up to see cracks on the mirror. _I was never that strong._ He recoiled and stared. _I was NEVER that strong._ His vision grew blurry. _But I’m not me anymore. I’m not Henry._ He covered his face and let out a pitiful sob. He felt tears trickiling down his face and let out a chocking breath at the next thought. _It’s not tears, it’s ink. Everything’s ink._ He felt like closing his eyes and never opening them. He felt like curling up into a ball and vanishing. He felt like-

An arm wrapped around him. It wasn’t warm, but it was comforting. Henry let his hands fall from his face. Allison was hugging him. They met eyes. _It will be alright._ Allison’s eyes said. Henry hugged her back. He didn’t want to let go.

And if he got out, so would they.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have moved this from an old cringey fic that I just deleted because I’m too lazy to write a new one, sorry.
> 
> I wrote this because a lot of fanfics don’t seem to account for how serious becoming a cartoon is. The only instance I can think of is ‘Adeo Fit Creator’ (Good fic, check it out) Most of the time, Henry just shrugs, says ‘Well this has happened’ and moves on. But what if he had a wife? Friends? A life? How would someone really feel about that?


	2. A Valued Employee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison, Tom and Henry find something.....unexpected.  
> (Henry is Bendy in this and explanations will be given if I choose to continue this)  
> 

Allison Angel held her sword in front of her, moving slowly and steadily. Her eyes were keen and sharp, alert for any sign of danger. Tom was behind her, his robotic arm unmoving as they both feared the noise could attract something. And Henry was behind them, walking without a damn care in the world.

”Guys, the only worry we have down here is the Butcher Gang. And they’re fairly easy to beat.”

This earned a stern ‘Shhhh!’ from Allison and Tom. Henry sighed.

”I’m just saying! Searchers have their puddles and Bendy has that weird web thing-“

”For the last time, he’s not Bendy! He’s the Ink Demon! You’re Bendy!”

Henry crossed his arms and muttered stuff about not wanting to be Bendy and how he preferred Henry. The trio continued forward in the same fashion. Eventually, their legs hurt and they were all worn out and tired. Tom sat on a box, Allison on the floor and Henry leaned on a nearby barrel. _I should’ve never come here,_ Henry thought. _I should’ve stayed with Linda when Barney couldn’t come. And now I’m a cartoon stuck with these 2 who keep going on about how I’m the ‘One Who will set us all free!’ and so on. Sometimes I’m worried that they’ll turn out like Sammy!_ He shuddered at the memory of the mans final screams. _Poor guy. Well, at least he didn’t get to see what became of Susie....._ Everything suddenly froze. All eyes turned to a corridor nearby. There were noises coming from it. Someone, or something, was shuffling about. There were faint mumbles and the sound of something being dragged along the floor. Allison got up along with Tom. She shot him a ‘I’ll handle this’ look and slowly moved towards the hall. Tom whimpered as Allison turned the corner. Silence. Something dropping. Whispers. Allison’s head shot back round the corner, startling Henry and Tom. There was a very wide smile on her face.

”What is it?”, Tom asked.

”Good news! Our little group just got bigger!”

Henry felt hope build up inside him. _Maybe it’s another Boris clone! I did meet him in similar situations! Oh please be a Boris, please!_ Allison beckoned for it to come out. Slowly, a head peered round the corner. It was a not a Boris, much to Henry’s dismay and Tom’s delight. It had slightly scruffy black hair and skin the same colour as the building around it. It’s eyes were like everyone else’s and were wide with fear and shock. It was incredibly humanoid, but had 4 arms, 2 of which it clearly did not know how to use as they hung abandoned by its sides. It had a black shirt with 2 buttons, over which was a pair of dungarees. It immediately edged closer to Allison. It was the slightest bit taller than Allison, meaning it was also slightly taller than Tom and a bit bigger than Henry. Tom narrowed his eyes and Henry’s gave it a look of disspointment.

”As you can see, this is a mostly perfect Edgar! Obviously, he doesn’t quite resemble a spider being humanoid and all, but he’s still better than Striker!”, She looked at him, “What’s your name?”

He moved a bit further away from Allison. She sighed.

”Come on, you talked to me earlier! Like, 2 words! And I swear I know you’re voice from somewhere......are you, Harold? From R&D? Wait, no, Jamie! No that isn’t quite right...George! You have to be George right!”

He gave her a ‘Are you stupid?’ look. She frowned.

”I would say you’re Shawn, but you don’t have an accent. Plus, he’s.....someone else.”

”They could be Lacie?”, Henry suggested.

“Lacie’s Boris.”, Tom replied.

”I’m sorry, what!?”

”You seriously didn’t know!? How could Lacie not be Boris! She doesn’t take sh** from no one, she’s a bit of a prankster and she was always easily freaked out!”

”I thought she was Wally!”

”Ah yes!”, Allison cried, “Wally! You’ve got to be Wally!”

”WHAT!?”, He cried, startling everyone, “ME!!??? That incompetent fool!? Why on earth would you think that!?”

Henry stared in shock for a few seconds, along with everyone else. _No....no it couldn’t possibly be him...._

“Sammy!?”, Henry said.

”Yes.”, Sammy replied, tapping his foot, “It is me.”

”Oh......That’s where I knew you from!”, Allison said, “Damn, have you changed! Last time I saw you, you were a Bendy worshipping loon!”

”What!? I was not!! First you think I’m Wally and now this!! I’m offended to say the least!!”

Henry continued to stare as their conversation continued. A billion questions ran through his head. _What!? How!? Why!? He died!!! Why doesn’t he remember being a Bendy worshipping loon!? How is Lacie Boris!? Can the machine CHANGE people’s sexuality!?  Does that mean Ben-The Ink Demon is a girl!? What!? Just what!?!?_ Henry shook his head in amazement and bewilderment. He feared he would never get the answers to these questions. He already had a lot of questions, plenty of which he didn’t have the answer to. And whenever he asked Ali and Tom about some things (For instance, who’s Piper?) they wouldn’t answer. Most of the time he would figure it out for himself, but that was only for a few instances. Like, Alice is Susie. That was fairly simple. But he could have never expected THIS. 

“So,”, Tom asked, inspecting Sammy’s extra limbs, “What’s the last thing you remember before going coo-coo?”

Sammy did not retaliate to the statement, so Henry guessed that he had aacepted that at some point he was absoulute loon. He gave a heavy, slightly sad, sigh.

”Well....Before Norman disappeared he said that if anything happened to him, I should look into it. So, when neither he or Susie showed up to work I asked Mr Drew about it. He asked me to meet him next to the Ink Machine after work. I agreed, but was naturally suspicious. I asked the band to follow and make sure nothing happened. It started out fine, I let my guard down. But then....”

Sammy gained a look of fear and trauma and betrayal was evident in his eyes.

”Then he gave me coffee. Except it wasn’t. I think it was Ink, because the next thing I know I’m on the ground coughing up the stuff. The last thing I heard was Elsa screaming.....”, He looked away, “Then I wake up next to the Machine with 2 extra limbs and a nightmarish Bendy standing over me-“

”WHAT!!??”, Tom, Allison and Henry cried in unison.

Sammy stared at them for a moment before continuing, the trio listening even more intently than before.

”Then, he picked me up by the scruff of the neck, whisked us through this ink portal thing and dumped me in a room before vanishing. And I was left there, with no idea what the hell was happening, alone, in a studio filled with creatures straight out of hell.”

Allison’s jaw was wide open, Tom staring in as much disbelief as his pie-cut eyes could manage and Henry lost in his thoughts. Sammy stared at them for a few seconds before picking up something. It was a large sack, that was swung over his shoulder with the clanking of metal. Henry snapped back to reality at that sound. It was the sound of bacon soup. He suddenly realised how hungry he was. But, Sammy had already turned away and was strolling out of sight. 

“WAIT!!”, Allison cried, running after him, Tom and Henry’s close behind, “I still have questions!! Plus, you’ll get yourself killed out there alone!!!”

Sammy turned to face them.

”Look, I have to get back to the others, so I don’t have time for stupid quest-“

”Others?”, Tom said, intrigued.

”Yes. I met them along my way. They have also been whisked through a portal to god knows where-“

”Wait, So-“

”CAN YOU PLEASE STOP INTERUPTING ME!!!!”

Henry slowly approached Sammy, still slightly afraid that he’d knock him unconscious.

”Well, the more the merrier! We would like to meet these friends of yours and, y’know.....”, Henry gave him a nervous smile, “Team up?”

Sammy narrowed his eyes at him before reluctantly giving in.

”Fine. But there are a few rules we have....”

And The 4 of them set off down the hallway, not aware of where this journey would take them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy did I have fun writing this.  
> I’m thinking of writing around 5 or more of these because I can. It’ll introduce a lot of characters, explain some theories and make some of my other fic (Imagineered Abominations) make a bit more sense.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and I’ll see you next time!


	3. A Valued Employee Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The perfect trio meets the perfect gang.

There were shouts coming from an illuminated room down the hall. Tom had a fed up look on his face and Allison and Henry were murmuring to each other. Sammy was stuck in the middle. He was incredibly tired. Well, as tired as his new body allowed him to be. 

“I wonder who they could be.”, Allison whispered to Henry.

”I have no idea. Maybe they’re from the music department, seeing as Sammy is Edgar.”, He replied.

”Well, I guess we’ll find out soon..”

The shouts coming from the room were more clear now. There was the sound of glass shattering and cries of frustation. Henry felt his heart grow heavy at their voices.  _No....it can’t be...First Sammy, now them?_ The first man yelled with a strong British accent.

”You ate the last can of bacon soup!! That was MY soup!!”

The other man replied with a southern American accent.

”No, it was our soup, you stuck up british twat!!!!”

”WHAT!!! I AM THE GREAT-“

” _I am the great blah blah blah!!!”_ , The other man replied in a mocking British voice, “That’s you, that’s what you sound like!!!”

Sammy almost seemed to shrink further into his shirt with every insult thrown at each other.

”Sorry, they...don’t really get along.”

The others weren’t concerned with that. They were concerned with the people behind the voices. Sammy pulled back the curtain as a bottle smashed against the wall. The man it was aimed at was glaring at the man opposite him. They looked like they were in their 50s, with black moustache just above their lip. What was left of their hair was smoothed across the back of his head and an inky beard seemed to be painted on his face. He had white gloves and wore a tailcoat with a bow tie. The man across from him was picking up another bottle to throw. He had a beanie atop his head and had white stubble on his face. One of eyes was covered with an eyepatch and had a faint glow coming from underneath it. His top had 3 buttons and two circular things around his shoulders. A belt with a huge buckle was at the top of his trousers. They both stared each other in the eyes.

”Come at me you pompous bas-“

”Norman! Hush!”, Bertrum gestured to the door, “We have guests.”

Sammy strolled inside with a look of disappointment while the trio followed behind with looks of shock. Bertrum went to get some chairs while Norman out the bottle down and took out 6 bacon soup cans. Sammy lay down the sack down as his seat and picked up some boards from the mound nearby. He took a lighter from his pocket and flames blazed to life. Allison, Tom and Henry immediately leaned in to feel it’s warmth. Henry had forgotten how long it had been since he was warm. There was no heating in the studio and being drenched and mostly made of ink for most of the journey didn’t exactly help. 

“So, here are the others.”, Sammy said, gesturing to them, “Allison, Tom, Henry, these are Norman and Bertrum. Norman, Bertrum, these are Allison, Tom and Henry.”

”Ah yes.”, Norman said, opening a can of soup, “Allison. You had such a good singing voice. Thomas, don’t have an opinion on you (This earned a huff of offence from Tom). And...Henry! I haven’t seen you in 30 years!!!”

Norman raised his can and took a slurp from it. Bertrum stared at him in disgust before extending a hand to Henry.

”I don’t believe we have met before.”

Henry took his hand and put on the best smile he could. But words echoed in his head. _I haven’t seen you in 30 years! But I’ve seen you. I don’t believe we have met before. But I’ve met you before._ Bertrum sat back and there was silence. Apart from Norman’s slurping, that is. 

“So, any explanations?”, Thomas asked, “Sammy told us he was killed and then woke up to be picked up by an Ink Demon and dumped somewhere in the studio.”

”Yes. It was a most unpleasant experience.”, Bertrum said with a grimace.

”Could you tell us how you, well, died?”, Allison said, smiling awkwardly.

Bertrum let out a sad sigh and cut in before Norman could open his mouth. 

“Well, I was about to test my masterpiece. The crown of Bendy Land. The carousel! But, when I checked the wiring, I found that someone had sabotaged it! I had no idea what was going through my head at the time, but I left it as it was. I believe I had a plan to kill Joey Drew. So, when I tested it, I drank some ink-“

”I’m sorry, WHAT?”, Tom exclaimed, “You knew about what the ink did!?”

”Well, obviously!!”, Bertrum replied, throwing his arms in the air, “Did you really think ME, a professional mechanic, would believe the ink machine was JUST for making INK!? I’m surprised you didn’t see it either!! it was SO obvious!! Anyway, the carousel electrocuted me and that was that. Until I woke up under the Ink Machine of course.”

The glare Thomas was giving him showed that he instantly decided to hate him. Norman cleared his throat and spoke next.

”Well, I overheard Joey talking to Susie and got suspicious. So, I waited by the Ink Machine for them to come and stop Joey. And then I died.”

Allison frowned.

”You just....died?”

”Well, there was a millisecond of pain in my neck so I’m guessing that I was decapitated from behind.”, He replied with an air of finality, “No idea who did, but I’m placing my money on Joey.”

Allison had a puzzled look on her face as she looked around at everyone. Then she stood up and spoke loudly with confidence.

”Gentlemen, we are on our way to face the Ink Demon, Kill Joey and set everyone free. Because, if you had payed any attention, we have the foretold perfect Bendy.”

All eyes turned to him. Sammy’s widened and Bertrum gained a look of triumph. Norman just smiled, satisfied with the outcome.

”Will you help us on our journey?”

The three of them looked at each other, then Allison’s sword, then Henry. They turned away and whispers filled the room. Allison and Henry exchanged glances and Tom focused on trying to hear the others discussion. The gang turned to face them, smiling. Sammy stood up and extended a hand to Allison.

”As leader of the Butcher Gang-“

”Hey, no one said you were!”

”Yes. I think that I should be leader-“

”SHUT UP!! Ahem...As self elected leader of The Butcher Gang, I accept you’re offer Allison.”

”Angel.”, She finished, shaking his hand.

Allison took out something from her belt. 3 weapons. Henry had barely even noticed that they were there. She handed Bertrum a pipe wrench, Norman a wrench and Sammy a crow bar. They looked at them and then back at Allison.

”You’ll need protection.”

They all understood and nodded. With no words, the group began to clear out the room, hinting for resources. Once they were done, the entire room was left bare and empty. Sammy still had the bacon soup over one of his shoulders, and a lighter and crowbar in his pockets. Norman carried a few more bacon soup cans but only for distractions. And Bertrum carried nothing, because that’s what Bertrum does. He walked over to a metal valve in the floor and kneeled down. After a few pathetic attempts, the valve spun smoothly open to reveal a ladder that lead to darkness. He recoiled at the strong pungent inky smell coming from it. Sammy rolled his eyes and climbed down the ladder. Norman followed grinning at the others.

”Oh, you’ll love what comes next.”

Bertrum descended, then Tom, then Allison. Henry looked around at the room. If he listened closely, he swore he could hear distant footsteps. They weren’t Bendy’s thumping ones, or the pathetic scrapes and limps and the butcher gang. No. It was....different. _Better not hang around to find out what they belong to._ And with that, Henry climbed down, the valve closing behind him. As soon as they descended Henry stared in awe. In front of him, was a ship. It wasn’t a big one, but it still had a clear lower deck. It floated atop a river of ink, lacking sails as there was no wind. Only the flow of the dark substance to pull it along.

”Apparently, Joey had a ship down here.”, Sammy disapprovingly remarked, “No wonder Grant went mad.”

”This ship clearly leads to a secluded area. The perfect area for somewhere like Joey to hide all these years.”, Bertrum said quietly.

 It was then that Henry felt the oddest sensation. Almost like some kind of danger signal. He had felt it when his vision had gone red and he had those hallucinations. But this time, it was telling him something. No words, just a feeling...

”Joey is down there.”, Henry said, all eyes turning to him, “But he’s not alone. We need to go through the Ink Demons den to get to him.”

Everyone stared at him. 

“Nope!”, Sammy cried, “Nope! We are not going through there! There has to be another route! We can find another route!”

”But we need to go that way.”, Henry replied, “We need to face the Demon to defeat Joey.”

Allison looked at Henry. It was almost as if she was staring into his soul.

”Henry, why are you here?”

He stood up straight. Now wasn’t the time to answer that question.

”The Ink Demon has something that we need. I’m going after him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an awful chapter. Sorry.  
> But, it set up some stuff so that’s good I guess.


	4. Pipes And Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so the name for Chapter 5 and it's achievements have been leaked, so from now on, all titles will be named after achievements. Apart from some.

Henry wasn't quite sure what they were doing. They were currently on a boat, on a river of ink, fussing over a pipe. A single pipe. It was surprising how big a leak it was. A great waterfall was gushing over the next caves entrance and Henry had to watch the others bicker about it.

"If go straight through it, we'll drown!!", Cried Bertram, "I don't want to turn back into a puddle of ink!"

"Yes, but we can go AROUND it.", Norman replied, "It's very simple!"

"But if you haven't noticed, theres a big old pile of rocks jutting out that could rip the boat into shreds!!", Thomas responded.

"But we can avoid them! God, has anyone here heard of actual sailing..."

"We'd go into the ink because of the way currents flow.", Sammy said in a disappointed way, "That's sailing for you!!"

They continued to bicker for god knows how long until Allison cut in.

"You do realise that there's a passage right there.", She said, pointing at a passage opposite them.

It was completely boarded up. It was dark and no one had been through it for years. Not a single ounce of light shone in it. It was like a black hole that swallowed everything up.

"Well, it's boarded up.", Sammy protested.

Allison raised an eyebrow and held up her sword. They all let out an 'Ohhhhhhh...' and she turned to Norman. The ship soon began to turn in the direction of the sealed off passage. Henry sighed, ready to descend further into this hell.  _I'm so done with always taking alternative routes. Sometimes I feel like someone is deliberately sealing off everything._ He heard the sound of wood being ferociously cut in half and felt more reassured that they were on the right track. That was, until what the tunnel contained came into view. Writing was scattered across the walls, rushed and demented. On one wall was **NO ANGELS** , on another was **THE CREATOR LIED TO US** , all things Henry had seen before. But the deeper they went, Henry started to notice new ones. **DEMONS, ANGELS, WHATS THE DIFFERENCE? WHAT ARE WE? NOT MONSTERS. TURN BACK NOW.** A shiver went down Henry’s spine as he read the last one. It was a poem, spread across the wall, the handwriting sickeningly neat and thin compared to the others. **INKY BLACK COVERS YELLOW WALLS, MONSTERS ROARS FILL EMPTY HALLS, RUN AWAY AND LOCK THE DOOR, HE’S NO DIFFERENT THEN BEFORE.**

"Ummm....Norman.", Henry whispered, "I think we should turn back."

"Too late now.", He whimpered, "The tunnels too small for a turnabout."

They drifted further along the silent tunnel, the air tense with fear. No one said a word. No one dared to breath. Sammy began to slowly back away and his hand fumbled for the door to the lower decks. Bertram made tiny pathetic noises while Norman stayed at the wheel, rigid. Allison was readying her sword while Tom surveyed the area for whatever did all of this. In silence they glided further and further down the tunnel. Darkness swallowed the boat, the faintest light allowing people to see what was in front of them. More and more became visible, until they remerged from the chocking tunnel. The boat hit the shore and they all took a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. Stepping off of the boat into the shallow ink, they made their way onto the shore. Henry kicked off as much of the foul substance as he could, before turning to everyone else.

”Is everyone okay?”

”I’ll be okay as long as I don’t need to go into that dastardly tunnel again.”, Bertrum responded, brushing off his suit.

”Oh man up!”, Tom replied, before turning to Henry with a dissapointed look, “We’re fine.”

”Great,”, There was a sharp sound as Allison slid away her sword, “Now let’s keep moving.”

Trudging up the shore, Sammy lingering behind, their footsteps eventually sounded against wood once more. Henry surveyed the hall. It was unusually empty, the ink still dripping. He looked back. Sammy was looking at floor, a rather dejected look on his face. Henry found himself drifting backwards before feeling a hand on his shoulder. He met Allison’s eyes.

”Dont worry. He’ll be fine. We can’t afford that distraction right now.”

With one last glance over his shoulder, Henry went back to the front. They turned another corner and were greeted by a hallway covered in millions of handprints. White paper covered every inch of the wall, ink imprinted on them. Henry gave them all a quizzical look. Tom shoved past them and walked further up. Allison scurried after him, calling out. He stopped further down the hall and reached out his hand. Henry watched as it lay upon a four-fingered handprint. It matched perfectly He looked at Allison.

”It’s these things.”

He tore down the piece of paper and proceeded to shred it up. The remains drifted to the floor. Henry looked back up at Tom

”Thomas, what are these.”

For a second, Henry swore he could hear a sniff but shook it off. Tom turned to look at him, snatching a handprint from Allison.

”These are documentations of Mr Drew’s progress.”, He spay, before throwing it to the ground, “If you could call it that.”

Henry looked around at all the handprints and began to understand the scale of Joey’s destruction. 

“So, every last one of these, is a victims?”

”Yes. Unless they didn’t hand any hands, but, there was only one.”

A brief knowing glance was exchanged before Bertrum cut in.

”Well, when I intended to kill Joey, I didn’t know THIS was what I was dealing with.”, He said, examining a handprint, “How did he manage to get these? Aren’t most hostile?”

”Knowing him, he probably chopped off the hand.”, Norman replied, before looking other at Sammy, “Sammy, you okay?”

He was staring at handprint that was in front of him. Norman frowned.

”Sammy?”, He snapped his fingers before shaking him, “Sammy, are you alright?! Guys somethings wrong with Sammy!”

Slowly, a sickening feeling building in Henry, Sammy reached out his hand. It touched the paper softly, falling into place. His hand fit perfectly on top of the four-fingered handprint. _Oh no._ His hand dug into the paper before he ripped it off the wall and threw it to the ground. Henry stumbled backward, Allison drawing her sword. Everyone drew their weapons, even Bertrum. _And just when I thought he was sane again, this has to happen!!_ The air was tense as Sammy took in deep seething breaths, drawing his crowbar. 

“Sammy!”, Norman cried, “What’s wrong!! Look, I know Joey was awful, and the things he did were terrible, but please, don’t take it out on us!!”

Allison, Tom and Henry all looked at each other before focusing on him. _Alright, so, he looks at handprint. He has amnesia and seeing it must’ve made him remember Joey’s experiments and make him snap back. And just when I thought it was over, Joey had to come back and ruin everything!_ Tom clenched the pipe wrench so tight Henry could hear the metal creaking. Sammy looked at the crowbar and clenched his fist. Sammy raised the crowbar and-

A thick black liquid dripped down the side of his arm. Everyone froze and watched as Sammy dug it deep into his discoloured flesh. Ink splattered onto the ground. Bertrum covered his mouth before turning around and making a hurling sound. Allison’s sword fell to the ground as she stared at him. Tom looked at Henry, his eyes wide. The splattering of ink made an invisible fist clench Henry’s stomach tighter. Henry shut his eyes, before moving his head back towards Sammy. He opened them. The crowbar was directly above his head. 

“NO!!!!”, Norman and Henry screamed in unison.

Henry ran over, grabbing Sammy’s arm. Norman joined, wrench in hand, both attempting to wrestle the crowbar from Sammy’s hand. He let out a paining screech before kicking Henry in the leg. He buckled but stayed strong as Sammy squirmed and tugged. Henry grabbed a lock of Sammy’s hair and yanked it, pulling him backwards with a sharp scream. Norman ripped the crowbar from his hand and threw it to the ground. 

“NO!!!!”, Sammy screamed through inky tears as Norman walked behind him, “I NEED IT!!! GIVE IT BACK!!! GIVE IT-“

Muffled screams continued under the coverage of Norman’s hands. He struggled, but Henry could see him slowing.

”Shhhh....”, Norman whispered as Sammy’s body went limp, “Go to sleep.”

His eyes closed and Norman let go. Henry placed his body on the ground. Everyone stood still in complete silence. That was, until Bertrum fainted with a dramatic sigh. There was a loud thud and Allison rushed over.

”What the. Actual. F***””, Tom muttered underneath his breath.

Norman collapsed against the wall, wiping some sweat from his brow. Henry leaned down and and picked up the crowbar, ink dripping from it and coating its surface. After a brief shiver, he let it fall to the floor once more. _I’m not holding that._

“Well”, Allison said in a shaky voice after dealing with Bertrum, ”It looks like we may be staying here tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE EDGE IS OVER NINE THOUSAND!!!!!!  
> Sorry for putting you through that.  
> .......  
> Sammy get some help.


	5. Shadows And Suffering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies made and battles fought.

Henry had no idea how long the silence had lasted. Everyone had sat down and just stared. In silence. At some point, Bertrum woke up. He looked around the room and seemed to exercise the tiniest bit of empathy by not disturbing them. A few whispers were exchanged between him and Tom before silence settled in once more. There was a cough from Norman. Allison nudged Tom and beckoned to Henry. They stood up and walked away, suprisingly with no retaliation from the other two. They walked back out to the shore. They stared at the boat and listened to the ink dripping. Allison sighed before looking at the others.

”At some point Sammy’s going to wake up.”

There was nodding and a heavy sigh.

”Does anyone know why that happened?”, Tom asked.

”I think seeing his hand on the handprint gave him flashbacks to Joey’s experiments which made him remember all the cultist stuff.”, Henry responded.

”No, I’d already figured that much out. I mean, the ‘digging a crowbar into his flesh part’. What was that about? I mean, he has been pretty f***ed up, but I don’t recall Nutjob Sammy going around cutting himself with axes.”

”Yeah.....”, Allison tapped her foot, lost in thought, “Isn’t it strange, though?”

”What?”, Henry asked, “What’s strange?”

”That Sammy lost his shirt.”, She replied, “I mean, from what we heard from him, he didn’t go through the machine. So he should have all his clothes. Unless he removed it himself, which is highly unlikely. And I don’t think Joey did it, I mean, what could he gain?”

Henry sighed and felt his mind drifting. Back to when the studio was decent. As far as Henry could recall in the foggy memory, it was summer. The band were cheerily swinging, Norman was being Norman. Henry was pretty sure Wally was actually smiling at Sammy. _It was nice. Everything felt right. It felt wrong to walk back into the same room, a cobweb littered projector booth above and a dusty stage nearby. And that Sanctuary. Sometimes, I wish I could rewind so that I never left. So many people would’ve been saved. But I had to be so selfish! And now everyone else is paying the price._ Henry shut his eyes and heard Allison and Tom’s voice dissolve into muffled noises. He went back to the memory and replayed it over and over again, bathing in the happy faces and the warm fuzzy feeling’s. Band playing music, Norman watching, Wally and Sammy- _Wait. Wasn’t it August? Why was Sammy still wearing the shirt? It was boiling! In fact, his face was bright red. There’s something wrong here...._

“What if he hurt himself?”, Henry wondered aloud.

Allison and Tom both looked at him. He looked up and continued to wonder.

”I mean, he always wore his shirt no matter what, and work was pretty stressful. Sammy was never the brightest ray of sunshine, so, I wouldn’t put it past him......May explain why he never let anyone get too close to him emotionally.”

”Oh Sammy,”, Allison said to nobody, covering her face with her palm, “Oh Sammy you _idiot.”_

“Well, let’s just make sure no one else goes about remembering what they did as monsters.”, Tom said, walking away, “We wouldn’t want a repeat of that.”

And in silence, they all walked back to the camp.

* * *

Henry stared into the embers of the fire as it ate away at the wood. _So pretty, but so destructive. If one thing went wrong this whole studio would burn to the ground._ Tom poked it with a stick, watching it crackle. Allison sat nearby sharpening her sword, causing Bertrum to wince. Norman had gone off to watch the boat. Embers rose into the air, accompanied by smoke. Normally, Henry liked sitting at distance from a fire. The smoke that made its way through his nose and down his throat was choking. But he just wanted to be warm. He’d noticed a long time ago, but ever since he stepped onto that ritual circle he’d been cold. Not like it was cold in the studio, the kind that stung and numbed. He felt....wet. Like something was clinging to his skin no matter what. Being this close was the only way to get rid of it. There was a rustling sound and Henry looked over to see a man sitting up. Getting up, without anyone else’s retaliation, he walked over to Sammy and crouched to be at eye level. Meeting his eyes seemed to be a painful endeavour for him, his eyes looking watery. Henry beckoned him to the door at the other end of the hall. Making sure they were out of view of the others, they turned to face each other. Even though Sammy was taller than Henry, it almost felt like he was looking down at him. No words were spoken. Henry had a lot he wanted to say, but he wanted Sammy to make the first move. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to form words, almost about to, before shrinking into himself. Running his finger through his hair, he took a deep breath and met Henry’s eyes.

”I’m sorry.”, He said, voice weak.

”It’s not your fault.”, Henry explode, relieved he could finally speak, “It’s Joey’s. You scared everyone a lot back there.”

”I know. It’s just....just the guilt....and I felt like I had to do it, I NEEDED to do it.”, He was staring him in the eyes, his voice a bit louder.

“Digging a crowbar into your arm? No one deserves that. Especially not you, with all the crap you’ve been through.”

”Yes, but, but I tried to kill you!”, He said, his voice strained, “And I woke up with no memory of that! And yet you just took me in, you forgave me!”

”Because it _wasn’t_ your fault.”, Henry replied, trying to keep his voice soft.

”You don’t know the things I’ve done, Hell, I don’t even know the things that I’ve done! It’s all just started coming back! I could’ve killed people Henry!! Innocent people!!! How would I be any better than Joey!?”

Henry took a breath and closed his eyes. This seemed to make Sammy more exasperated, as we was practically grabbing Henry by now.

”Why?! Why would you forgive me!? Why aren’t you talking!!??”

Henry grabbed Sammy’s hand and opened his eyes, dropping his calm voice, “Because you won’t _listen._ ”

Sammy opened his mouth before closing it looking away. 

“Look, you’ve been through sh**, I’ve been through sh**. And yet here we are, almost at the end with scars and bruises, but who care! What matters is that we’re here. We’re here right here, right now. And it may suck, but this is all we’ve got! We only live once Sammy. And it’s time you learnt that.”

Silence. Sammy looked at something unseen. He looked like he was about to cry. Instead, a laugh cane from his throat. It wasn’t happy, Henry could tell, but it was something.

”I’ve wasted my life, haven’t I?”

”You made music for the cartoons. And those cartoons, no matter how corrupt they were behind the scenes, made people smile. That’s something.”

Sammy gave him a smile. It wasn’t sad. It was hopeful. Henry smiled back. It was first genuine one he’d seen in a while. Not one painted on the face of a demon, not one that spoke of malice or sadness, a real smile. And that was exactly what he needed in this dark place. The smile vanished from Sammy’s face. Henry frowned too as he seemed to be looking at something behind him. Henry turned around and stared at the thing in question. A skinny, inky, figure with glowing eyes and a dripping face. It was looking straight at Henry. It’s head was tilted in a quizzical way. 

“Hello.”, Henry said, obliged to answer its unasked question, “It’s me.”

”Are, are you the one?”, A female voice asked, quivering and faint as I felt it was submerged under water, “Are you the saviour?”

”Well, if you mean a ‘perfect’ Bendy, then, um, yes I guess.”

“Oh my Lord.”, She said in a shocked voice, “You, you, you finally came!”, She edged closer to him, her eyes smiling at him, “After all these years! Oh, it’s such a pleasure to meet you Mr Savior sir!”

Henry rubbed the back of his head and smiled back. The ink woman clapped her hands together, like this was the first time she felt joy in many years. Henry turned at the sound of footsteps, The Ink woman watching over his shoulder.

”Henry.”, Allison asked, peering around the corner, “Who is that?”

”We don’t really know.”, Sammy answered, “She seems happy that Henry’s here.”

Henry gave her a reassuring smile, growing confused at the shocked look on her face. He turned around to look at the lady, only to find the, recoiling in horror.

”It, it’s you!!”, She said pointing at Allison before moving to Sammy, “And, and _you._ ”

”Allison and Sammy?”, Henry asked, “They’re with me.”

She placed a hand over her mouth beforehand turning to run. Henry was shoved out of the way as Allison chased after her. Norman and Bertrum emerged, Tom barging through them. Exchanging looks, they all chased after them.

”Allison!”, Henry cried, “Allison what are you doing?”

Hearing the sound of a sword being removed from a sheath followed by, “Dont let her get away.”, Wasn’t giving off any good intentions to Henry. They ran through a doorway, Bertrum tripping over Norman’s foot, only to turn a corridor with a inky puddle present. Henry watched as Sammy slipped over, Tom grabbing his hand and yanking him forward. Henry ran over the puddle, his leg darting dangerously in one direction before his body leapt forward, his chin smacking in the ground. He got up, wobbled a bit on his weak knees before continuing to run after the others. The ink woman was far ahead, seemingly able to run forever. Henry heard a sound of a mountain of ink smacking against the floor. A sickening feeling rose in his chest. _Please say she isn’t dead._ He caught up to Allison, Thomas and Sammy, panting and hunched over. Slow footsteps joined them and Bertrum collapsed, earning a dissapointed tutting from Norman. On the floor was a puddle, much like the ones Henry had seen when he looked back in the vents. 

“D-Did you kill her!?”, He asked, begging the answer was no.

”Worse. She got away.”, Tom snarled.

”What do you mean it’s worse!! She was innocent!!”

”Well tell me, Henry, what’ve you seen of them?”, Tom asked him in a mocking tone, “What’s so ‘innocent’ about them!?”

”First time I saw them it was a man walking across a balcony above me. He was crying about wanting to go home. Then there were a bunch of them sulking in a room. And all around R&D they were weeping and crying.”

”They are sad.”, Allison replied, sheathing her sword, “But they’re also dangerous. They hold a grudge against Angels and those who harm them. And they can be quite overwhelming in big numbers. They can also commune with Searchers, though I’ve never seen it with my own eyes.”

”Lost Ones we call them.”, The wolf said in a tone that was tainted with hate, “Apparently the ‘Ink whispers to them’ or something. Tells them things. They were told Angels were evil, so they assumed BOTH Angels were evil. They were also told that a saviour would come to set them all free. Had very specific details.”

”What, like a prophecy?”, Norman asked sceptically, “Prophecy’s only show up in made up stories.”

”We thought that too. But then we saw, well, Henry and realised that it may have been true....”, The quiet voice of the angel said.

”Great, so some ink voice told a bunch of Lost Ones a prophecy that you overheard and you’re going to believe it?”, Bertrum said in a dry voice, “100% foolproof plan right there.”

This earned a throat clearing from Norman and, “Says the man who drank some ink and deliberately let himself get electrocuted.”

Bertrum scowled at him. Sammy’s face went pale and he asked.

”So, they hold grudges with people who hurt them? Then why would they hate me?”

Allison shrugged before turning and walking off. Sammy nodded and followed with the rest of the group, hunched over. Henry and Norman’s exchanged glances and lagged behind the rest. Norman leaned close to Henry and whispered.

”So.....did you help him with the self-harm thing?”

”For now. But you can’t just fix things like this instantly. As soon as we get out, I’m paying to see a therapist for him. And I will drag him kicking and screaming to a hospital if he cuts himself again.”

Norman smiled and walked with the rest off group. Henry preferred staying at the back. Let him think. Think about his home. With his little girls and his wife. Linda. _I can’t wait to see her again, if I ever do. She’s a doctor so I guess she’ll be able to help Sammy. Hopefully he hasn’t cut himself too much. Of course, it won’t be a problem for her. She’s too stubborn to avoid s good challenge. Probably why I fell in love in the first place. ..... I should’ve never come to this studio in the first place. If I hadn’t, all this crap could’ve been avoided. If I never left, people wouldn’t have died. Or would I have died? Or me and Linda would’ve never been married. I guess whichever way I look at it, there are never any happy endings......_ Henry jolted back into reality as he saw two fingers snap in front of his face.

”Henry!”, Allison harshly whispered, “Pay attention!”

She peered around a corner and Henry looked around. Everyone else was crouching on the floor. He crouched too, nudging Norman. 

“What’s happening?”

”Apparently we’ve found the Lost Ones hideout. It’s quite a marvel.”

Henry looked back at Allison who was making signals to Tom. Turning to everyone else she whispered.

”There’s no way around. We’ll have to go through. Weapons at the ready.”

Henry watched as everyone unsheathed their weapons. He felt his heart beating faster. This wasn’t like The Projectionist, Searchers or The Butcher Gang. They were mindless. But these....were people. They hadn’t harmed him. Bertrum had tried, many had tried but these hadn’t. He couldn’t let this happen.

”Wait!”, Everyone turned to look at him, “Isn’t there a better way than mindless slaughter!?”

”I’m sorry Henry.”, Allison said, her cold voice chilling Henry to the bone, “But down here, we’re all sinners.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter-Aggression.
> 
> May I also apologise for the lack of audio recordings. I’m planning to add them in future chapters. See you next time! Or, write you next time? Read you next time? Eh, who cares.


	6. Aggression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to fight.

Allison ran forward with a cry, Tom following close behind. Sammy was hesitant, but Bertrum shoved past him, Norman following. Sammy looked back at Henry before turning and running out into the area. Readying his axe, Henry took a few deep breaths. Opening his eyes he got up and peered around the corner. It was a large cavern like room, tiny houses made of scrap metal stacked on top of one another. It was a fascinating sight. Lost Ones emerged from the houses to look at the starting fight below. Henry watched as they seemed to dissolve into puddles before materialising on the floor. The Lost Ones made inhuman screams as they ran toward the rest of the group. Henry could only watch as Tom grabbed one with his robotic hand and threw them into another. The unfortunate smashed against a house, their body rippling before disintegrating into a puddle. The thrown looked at it in horror, feeling it with it’s hands as if searching for something they’d lost. Henry heard a splashing sound behind him and turned to be met with a black fist. He fell backward into the chaos, something tripping over him. Dazed, Henry got to his feet, stumbling about as he tried to regain his focus. Someone pushed him forward and he looked up. A pair of glowing yellow eyes stared into his soul.

” _Liar._ ”

On instinct, his leg moved forward, kicking them in the leg. They buckled and Henry took the opportunity to shove them to the ground. They scowled at him, another running at him with an unholy scream. Henry took out his axe and hurled it at them. It soared through the air and he felt his heart skip a beat. It made contact with their forehead and they exploded, droplets showering it’s brethren. Henry stared at it before looking up. They were still distracted. His feet moved backwards slowly before turning and running. Another stood in front of him, it’s back turned as it towered above a defenceless Bertrum. Henry got down and slid across a trail of ink, his axe cutting the thing in half. He felt droplets falling into him as he smacked into Bertrum’s legs. Bertrum gave him an exasperated thank you, before running to grab his pipe. Looking to his left Henry could see Sammy and Norman back to back. Sammy was punching mutilple Lost Ones with his limbs, while Norman sliced with his wrench and a lent crowbar. Getting off the ground in the midst of the black chaos, Henry spotted a gap between two stacks of houses. He ran towards it leaving a trail of black rain in his wake. Elbowing another in the chest before cutting them, he turned his attention to the building. Wires connected to screws held it in place. The entire structure was clearly unsturdy. Two broken threads would be enough to bring it down. Looking over saw Tom punching one through the chest while smacking a gent pipe into another’s face. 

“TOM!!!!”, Tom turned to look at him, “GO AROUND THE OTHER SIDE AND START TACKING DOWN THE WIRE!!!!!”

Tom looked at the building before nodding and running to the other side. Henry ran to the end, placing his axe against the string. Moving it quickly the wire began to weaken. He let out a curse as it slipped off before applying it once more. Cutting faster and faster. He could practically see the string turning red from friction. With a snap it broke making the building shake. Another snap sounded from the other side, metal creaking and groaning. He ran to the next wire and his axe move back and forward again. It slipped off, cleaning against the nail. _Useless piece of junk!_ Applying to the wire once more he moved it, hearing inky footsteps approaching. His hand turned at a loud screech as a figure charged toward him. He let out a terrified scream as  he swung his axe, catching it in the hip and slamming it into the building. It wobbled precariously and Henry heard a loud snap from the other side. Picking up his axe, he moved it one last time, back and forth. He heard Tom cry out and the noises of grunts and struggling. Finally, their was a triumphant snap and the metal monster let out a loud creaking roar as it fell. Their were screams and cries and Henry ran out of the shadows just as it crashed to the ground. The shockwave made him fall over and ruined Bertrum’s decent escape roll. Lost Ones gathered around the building, staring at it in dismay. One fell to their knees and started to wail. It was a pitiful scene. Tom jumped onto the building and ran over it, knocking over two Lost Ones as he went. He joined the rest of the group as all heads turned to them. Then something quite odd happened. They all closed their eyes and started muttering something. The group exchanged confused looks. 

“What are they doing?”, Henry asked Allison.

”I don’t know, but whatever it is, it isn’t good.”

Puddles materialised everywhere, Searchers bursting out of them. One appeared behind Tom, catching him off guard. The Lost Ones advanced. Henry hit a Searcher in the head, kicking a Lost One ins the stomach shortly after. He viciously hacked through them, ink spraying everywhere. Turning around, Henry let out a cry as a light blinded him. Clasping a hand over his eyes, he waited for his vision to clear before removing it. The light was on the ceiling now, facing away from him. Norman stared in shock at the light coming from his right eye. A tear rolled down his cheek. _Oh no._ Henry was forced to the ground by an unknown assailant, things scratching and kicking and punching him. He tried to shove them off but he couldn’t. The weight was suffocating him under a claustrophobic, ever moving black mass.

”Henry!”

He couldn’t answer Allison’s cry of desperation. _This is it._ He thought, tears welling in his eye. _I’ll never see Linda again. All of this has been for nothing._

_**No.** _

His entire vision burst into red flames, the once quiet whispers now screaming in his ears. He couldn’t be sure if he was hallucinating or not but all the Black seemed to clear off him. His head throbbed with pain and he covered his head. The whispers got louder and louder until it felt like his ears were bleeding. Henry wasn’t sure if he was screaming or not. Through all the mess, the muddled sounds and screams a familiar sound reached Henry’s ears.

**_Kill him_ **

“HENRY!!!”, A voice cut through as reality snapped back into its place.

Looking up he could see the towering figures of his beaten and bruised companions. Scattered around the room were puddles and inkstains. Not a single Lost One or Searcher was in sight. Henry connected two and two and felt a wave of guilt wash over him. 

“Henry.”, Allison said, “What did you do?”

He looked up at her, tears in his eyes, “I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, little explanation/theorising for the last part.  
> Basically, in the ritual Joey talks about each object represents a group of workers. Doll is Toy Department, Gear is R&D, Wrench is mechanics, Inkwell is Animators, Record is Music Department And The Book is everyone else aka. Grant, Joey, those people. Henry used to be an artist meaning he is part of it. Because he was absent for so long, stepping on the pentagram only partly affected him, meaning he could response and stuff. The elevator crash killed him, allowing him to come back as perfect Bendy. The hallucinations in Chapter 4 is him turning. The thing when the chandelier swings is him letting out a shockwave, which he used here to kill all the Lost Ones And Searchers.  
> Got this off SuperHorrorBro, his video is way clearer, watch it he’s a good theorist.


	7. Goldbricking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let others do the work

Henry unsteadily wobbled across the final plank. Allison beckoned for him to keep going, offering encouragement along the way. The hole below him was deep, dark, and most importantly deadly. He shuddered as he rembered the fall from earlier. Even though he didn’t die, and the ritual saved him a lot of injury, it hurt like hell. Finally, he stepped onto solid ground and let out a sigh of relief. They continued through the studio for a bit longer. Henry was completely aware of the constant wary glances from others. Whenever he drew near them, they scuttled forward to avoid him. Henry couldn’t blame them. Norman was pale, what colour that remained in him drained. He hung at the back of the group, not out of fear for Henry, but fear of himself. Tom stuck out his non-robotic hand and they all came to halt. He made some indecipherable hand symbols to Allison who nodded. Listening closely, Henry could pick up the sounds of gibberish chatter. His blood went cold. _Of course they would be here. Of course._ Tom crept toward the corner and pulled out his wrench. He nodded to the others, pausing as he noticed something. Henry followed his quizzical gaze and saw Norman completely frozen. His hands were shaking and ended up being curled into fists. He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. He returned a nervous but genuine one. They readied their weapons. All at once, they ran around the corner. The gruesome members of The Butcher Gang turned around and let out their own battle cries as they advanced. But as they were close to colliding, Henry heard a tiny voice whisper in his head. It wasn’t loud, but loud enough to convince him to back away.  _Y’know, you’ve fought them enough times already. Shouldn’t you, Well, rest?_ Henry looked at a nearby stairwell. It led to a seemingly peaceful balcony which overlooked the chaos.  _Maybe I should._ His feet carried him up the stairs despite the retaliations from his teammates. He heard their grunts and cries from up there and looked down. Sammy was wrestling Striker single (or two) handedly, narrowly avoiding a close contact punch from that mechanical arm. Nearby Tom and Bertrum were beating the crap out of Piper, bruising him if it was even possible, and Norman was attacking Barley alongside Allison with all the might they could muster. Oh, and all were yelling insults at him. Henry turned to a nearby table on the the balcony, not wanting to listen to the insults. On top sat some candles, an ink stained cloth and a recording. Curious, he pressed the button.

** VOICES OF GRAHT COHEN, SHAWN FLYNN & MURRAY HILL **

**Grant: _Are you sure you want to do this?_**

**Shawn: _Absolutely._**

Henry heard the clanks of metal and cries of anger stop. **Murray: _Mr Drew will be really mad._** He walked towards the edge and saw the group staring at an odd phenomenon. **Shawn: _That’s why I have Grant here!_** The Butcher Gang were waddling, limping and scuttling towards the balcony, heads craned upward. **Grant:** **Excuse me! I refuse to be involved in this! Shawn: You said you would be my only salvation! Look, we’re just gonna wait until he walks past, drop a bag of ink of him, and run away! Murray:** **What if he sees us?! Shawn: Well, he’ll have ink in his face.** The Butcher Gang looked at one another. Their expressions were oddly human.  _ **Murray: you’re completely mad.**_ **Shawn: Sure you’re not just talking about Grant?** **Grant:** _ **Ha ha, very funny. Now let’s get this over with.** *Click* _They didn’t attack. They just stood there, making funny noises to one another. Henry cautiously walked down the stairs, wary of the possibility of hostile attack. They just continued their conversation in a language that only they could comprehend. 

” **Hit me??”** , Piper struggled, **“Me...Me Git...Me Gra-Gran-Grans-Grant! Me Grant Cohen!”** , He turned to the others in shock, **“ME GRANT COHEN!!!”**

“You’re Graht Cohen?!”, The group exclaimed in unison.

 **“Me Grant Cohen!!!”** , It babbled to itself in joy.

Everyone stared at in disbelief. _Is this really what he was reduced to?_ Piper waddled over to the others, chattering about his newfound identity, oblivious to the others. Fisher soon joined in.

**“Me Grant Cohen?”**

**”NO! ME GRANT COHEN!!!”** , It snapped, just like Grant did.

 **”What me?”** , It pondered, **“Me....Mu....Murrah....Murray!! Murray Hill!!!”**

 _Murray Hill?_ Henry thought to himself as the others stared, dumbfounded. _Wasn’t he the guy on the blueprints?_ They stared at Striker in expectation. It cocked its head and moved it’s teeth it desperation. Only gibberish and clacking emerged. Cautiously, despite Tom’s protest, Bertrum approached it. It recoiled, uncertain wether it should attack or stay passive. It was struggling between what the ink told it and it’s new found humanity did. Henry prayed that humanity would win. Reaching out, Bertrum grabbed the string and lifted it up a bit. Allison came over warily and positioned her sword. The string was cut with a quiet slice. He pulled the string out, Striker wincing. After pausing for a second Striker faced Henry. He stared him in the eyes. One was very human, the other pie cut. 

 **“Shawn Flynn.”** , It said in a clear Irish accent, **“I am Shawn Flynn.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did just do that and I know that Chapter 5 will come out and make me incorrect on a lot of things and that this will definitely be one of them, but screw it.
> 
> I do think that they may actually be put the rest through death, but this was called ‘Chapter 5 Ideas’ for a reason so......


	8. Fight Your Demon

The halls echoed with the sounds of chatter. Piper waddled along with Fisher close by, learning a new word every minute that passed. They couldn’t pass quick enough.

”Would you two just stop talking already!!??”, Bertrum cried in despair.

Piper looked at him with it’s mutilated eyes. It raised it’s pipe in a sinister manner.

**“Hit.”**

Bertrum went silent, face pale, Norman snickering. As a heated debate broke out between them, a few steps ahead of them, Henry and the thing known as Striker walked side by side. They were engaged in a deep conversation, mostly about what led up to the current state of the studio.

”So, why did you have those threads in your mouth?”

 **“Oh, well.”** , It replied in a forlorn but squeaky Irish accent, **“Judging by my voice he was probably all like ‘That’s not perfect, Striker doesn’t speak!!’. Sounds like some of the crazy sh** Joey would do.”**

They both chuckled over that. 

“Did you manage to get that ink bag on Joey?”

 ~~Shawn~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~Striker nodded, **“Yup. All over his stupid blonde hair. Never found out as well. Probably my best day here.”**

The conversation went on and on, accompanied by everyone elses chatter. It was probably the happiest since they started this journey. At some unspecified point, Sammy joined their conversation. Allison and Tom oversaw the whole thing, smiling to one another like a pair of pleased parents. The group descended deeper and deeper, for once able to ignore the inkstains and horrors. Henry however managed to drag himself out of the conversation long enough to spot a tape recorder. Striker nodded his approval and he pressed play.

**VOICES OF ALLISON PENDLE & WALLY FRANKS**

**Allison: _Wally! Wally come on listen to me!_**

Henry’s face creased with confusion. He looked to the others for some sort of answer. All looked concerned and worried, most puzzled at the nature of the recording. Tom was glaring at it, hatred clear in his eyes. Allison had frozen up, her eyes mortified.

**_I know it’s been difficult recently but please! I just want to help._ **

**Wally: _If you wanted to help so much then why have you been avoiding me?_**

**Allison: _Well..._**

**Wally: _Oh Yeah, I know, it’s because the other employees decided to talk sh** about me and you believed it!!_**

**Allison: _Look, I had doubts about you based on some information I heard, but trust me, I just want to help._**

**Wally: _No you don’t!! You want to help yourself like everyone else!! I’ve been around long enough to know that people here are only nice when they want something from you. And when their done, they trample you to the dirt!! And I’m sure as hell not going down at the hands of some selfish liar!!_**

“NO!!!!!”, Allison screamed, shoving Tom out of the way.

Before he could process what was happening, she charged into Henry, pinning him to the ground. The tape recorder was held tightly in his hands, blaring sounds no one could hear over the cacophony of voices and sounds. Allison grabbed it and tried to pull it from him. He tried to talk to her but the others were all yelling and crying and at her, hands grabbing her shoulders and arms, trying to tear her from him. Finally, his hands gave way and she fell back with the recorder in hand. Getting to her feet she threw it down, stamping on it over and over again. Everyone went silent as the bits and pieces all cracked and broke under her feet. The foot stamped again and again and again until all that was left was a mess of tape and metal. Deep breaths escaped her as she stopped, staring at the remains. A silent processing occurred within everyone.

“What did you-“

”WHAT WAS THAT!!???”, Bertrum exclaimed, silencing Sammy.

Allison remained silent. Sammy elbowed Bertrum, Who gave him a brief look of distant. Henry stared at the Angel, head hung yet still trying to look strong. He was reminded of someone very close to him. He didn’t want to see her hurt. And he wouldn’t let Allison hurt either. He spotted Tom in the the corner of his eye. He was filled with a familiar kind of rage. Betrayal. Henry steadily approached her, beckoning for the others to step back.

”Allison.”, He asked, her eyes avoiding his eyes, “Allison tell me what’s wrong.”

She bit her lip and continued her silence. Her eyes looked watery. She almost seemed like a completely different person from the stoic woman who saved him from Alice. 

”Allison, I won’t hold it against you, Ok? Everyone in this room has done something awful.”

”Not me!”

 Bertrum was yet again elbowed and he turned his attention back to Allison, “Look, just tell me. Please”

One tear escaped her. One. She took a deep breath and looked at him. Some dark secret hid inside of her. He could tell. 

”It’s just.....I’ve been keeping something from you all.”, Tom glared at her more intensely, his rage growing seemingly greater, “It’s something about the Ink Demon.”

Everyone expressed different emotions at this, all negative. Tom stamped his foot and muttered insults beneath his breath. The Butcher Gang backed away, clearly rembering what he could do. And two of the trio huddled closer to Bertrum, who raised an eyebrow.

”Well, what is it?”

Allison closed her eyes and swallowed, “I know his identity. , She practically tripped over her next words, trying to get them from her throat as quickly as possible, And it’s not Joey.”, Everyone payed very close attention to her as she blurted out the last of the secret rotting at her core, “It’s-“

The Butcher Gang let out screams in their nonsensical way. They all turned and stumbled away, heading for a Little Miracle Station. The rest stared in confusion as they climbed inside one by one, slamming the door. They screamed gibberish to them, panic making them loose what little dialogue they had. A cold sensation creeped over Henry. He looked down at his hand. A strange ink web crawled over his whole body, moving in cold unforgiving waves. There was low growl that sounded like someone submerged in ink nearby.  _No._ Familiar footsteps sounded. All turned to the nearest door. A gloved hand reached round the corner, seizing the frame so hard the sound of cracking could be heard. They all stood, frozen with fear, as a pair of sharp melted horns came into view along with a black, skeletal body. Finally, a sketched wide smile came into view. There was a moment of peace in the hurricane.

The Ink Demon let out an unearthly roar.

Everyone scattered in fear, screams and cries sounding as people scrambled for their weapon’s. Henry tried to open the door of the Miracle Station. It wouldn’t open. He peered through the hole to see The Butcher Gang squeezed together, pressed as close to the wall as possible. 

”LET ME IN!!”, He screamed, only to earn the shaking of heads and a single wide fearful eye.

Another roar sounded and Bertrum flew past him, smacking into the wall. He looked to see the Demon crush the pipe wrench in his gloved hand. Sammy And Norman were making a desperate attempt to drag away Bertrum’s unconscious body while it was distracted. They weren’t quick enough. The beast focused it’s blank gaze upon them and roared it’s chilling call. It ran straight forward, Henry dodging out of the way. Sammy And Norman turned their heads, eyes wide with fear, a scream that was familiar from so long before, the unsheathing of a sword. 

“STOP!!!!”, Allison screamed, skidding in front of them.

Her sword was pointed at it’s throat. It vaguely acknowledged it, tilting it’s head. There were a few tears in her eyes as she spoke.

”Please, stop.”

Tom let out a cry of rage as he banged the wrench against it’s back. The ink shimmered as he lowered his weapon, barely any damage delievered to the seemingly fragile structure. The horned head turned to look at him, letting out another roar. Metal met ink as their hands collided, Tom trying to push him back. He called out to Allison to stab him. She did nothing, petrified. She looked torn. And Henry finally understood why.

The wolf was yanked up by his hand and slammed against the ground. It pressed a foot on his torso, crushing his lungs. It ripped the metal from his stub of an arm, a chocked cry escaping him. It tossed the sparking, mess of wires away like it was a piece of trash. Picking up the axe, betrayed hatred accompanied by the sadness of the studio boiling within him, Henry ran at it as it raised the hand of execution. He wedged it between it’s ink concealed ribs, causing it recoil with a pitiful but inhuman sound of pain. He helped Tom from the ground and picked up Allison’s dropped sword. 

“You two, get to safety.”

”What!?”, Tom exclaimed as Allison got to her feet, “Are you mad, you’ll die alone!”

”Just do it!!!”, Henry yelled.

Hesitantly, but picking up as the demon ripped the axe from himself, they hid around the corner with the rest. The butcher gang and others peered to see the two twisted devil darlings acknowledge one another. The original and the copy. Henry clutched the sword, narrowing his eyes at the monster. It flexed it’s huge fingers and clenched it’s withered ones. Henry just stood there, staring at it. He cocked his head, mimicking it. This was enough to set it off. It let out a final roar of hatred, of pain, and of merciless inhumanity and charged at him. All took a breath and widened their eyes. Others finally moved from their fearful position against the wall. Allison leapt out only to be seized by Tom. Henry stuck out a hand.

”Wally Franks.”

The hand was just an inch away from his face. The demons were frozen in their positions, one towering over the other, yet small compared to him somehow. It relaxed it’s muscles and stared at the wall. The hand moved away from it’s face in consideration.

”You ARE Wally Franks, right?”

It looked away. Henry kept an empty face, blank as a sheet of paper. It limped away from him, closer to the corner yet unaware of the cowering people. It hung it’s head, something like a sigh of sorrow escaping it. Henry relaxed his arm and dropped the sword. It landed with a clatter on the ground. The behemoth faced him. Slowly Henry walked up to him, the web on the walls disintegratin as he did. The others watched in shock as the monster crouched to be at eye level. Neither was bigger than the other. Henry smiled, tears finally escaping him.

”It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The creature nodded, and for the first time ever, the smile looked genuine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now it’s time to beat up Joey’s ass. Before the FINAL CHAPTER!!  
> *Runs off trying to be dramatic and failing miserably*


	9. A Sweet Surprise

A Searcher exploded into ink as a massive white hand drew away from it. The droplets landed on a ink splatter just beneath a door. Curtains were drawn over it, concealing whatever darkness lay within. And they were certain it was the worst kind of darkness.

“Well.”, Tom said, “I guess this is the end of our journey.”

”Took long enough.”, Sammy replied, a smile appearing on his face.

Everyone turned to Henry. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. Inside lay a small office. There was no one within. Disappointment fell like mist upon the group. It seemed like the journey wasn’t over yet. Bertrum perked up as he spotted something. He ran over to a wall, one that wasn’t blocked by desk’s or cutouts, and knocked on it. A hollow sound came through. He moved his hand, scanning for a switch. There was a click and the wall slid open. The group entered, tensions rising. They examined the area briefly, only for all eyes to be drawn to the same place. Henry felt a sickening feeling rise in his throat. Standing in the middle of a rather large room, before the cursed machine, was a very familiar man. They looked over their shoulder, turning to face them. Their chalk white face had a welcoming smile on it, though their black eyes said otherwise. Their suit was the same as Henry remembered, if not a bit more ink stained and tattered. 

“Hello there.”, Joey greeted them, “I’ve been waiting for you lot.”

All hands went to their weapons. 

“Now now, don’t be so aggressive. I just want to chat!”, He chided.

”We have nothing to talk about.”, Allison spat.

”Oh really?”, Joey smiled that oh so familiar twisted smile, “Don’t you want your humanity back?”

All frowned. Murmurs ripples through the group, unsure of wether or not to trust him. Curiosity overtook Henry, And before he could stop himself, the words tumbled from his mouth.

”What do you mean?”

Everyone gave him a terrified look. Joey’s grin just grew.

”See, I can use the machine to give you back your humanity. Just whisk away all that ink from your skin and your free to go! Well, it will come at a price.”

”What is it then?”, Norman asked, The Ink Demon growling nearby, “What’s this ‘price’?”

”Give me Henry and you can leave.”

The group crowded around Henry protectively. Henry felt a bit of joy rise inside him and held his axe higher.

”I will never go with you.”, Henry answered definitely.

The group nodded their agreements, defiance filling them. Joey shrugged.

”Of course, I should’ve known you would say that.”

There was a glint in his eyes. Henry felt his blood run cold. He knew that glint. The group’s brief joy deflated instantly as Joey lifted up his hand. It was black, glistening like his heartless eyes. Veins were blackened with the cursed liquid all the way down his arms.

**“I’ll just have to take him.”**

Ink rose from the floor in torrents. Puddles flew threw the air, a few hitting them as they went past. It gathered into columns, swirling like the abyss they held. Claws grew from them, cutting the air. A huge pair of monstrous hands flexed their sharp fingers, following the movements of Joey’s. A maniacal grin split his face. The black came towards them, smacking the space they once inhabited. Searchers materialised and moved, moaning pitifully as they approached. Henry stumbled backwards as Searchers swarmed him, more than he’d ever seen. The hand side swept the advancing Butcher Gang to the side, smacking them into the ceiling. They hit the floor one by one, shimmering and shacking as they tried their best to stay together. The trio ran towards them, picking them up to move them away from the massive claw’s next attack. Henry, filled with newfound determination, sliced through the Searchers. Over and over, left to right, head after head after head. Inky chaos reigned as he watched the last one explode. Turning his head, he saw more appearing. _These guys just don’t quit._ He backed away until he bumped into something. He met eyes with Allison and smiled. She returned it. Searchers circled them as they readied their weapons. Ink droplets flew threw the air, the foul smell of ink filling their noses. A black mass hit the walls as a roar cut through the air. The demon ripped a Searcher from the ground and hurled the dematerialising mass at the madman. It smacked into Joey’s chest. Ink briefly fell in waterfalls to the floor, searchers vanishing through the floorboards. Then, like it was a tape being rewinded, it all gathered back together. Joey let out a cry of rage and swept a colossal hand towards the demon. It collided with a wolf instead, throwing him into a beam. As he fell through air, it caught him in it’s palm. Joey examined his limp figure before discarding it. His unconscious body hit the ground like one of the dolls within Heavenly Toys. More and more Searchers approached, their slicing growing more and more desperate. Allison asked a question with her eyes and Henry answered with a nod. Like the unstoppable angel she was, she dodged and jumped between the black horde and ran to Joey. Sammy noticed her and charged toward Joey, clearly not intending to attack. He was yet another doll swept aside by the devil’s hands. He let out a scream as Allison impaled one of his arms with a sword. Black blood dropped as she pulled it out, avoiding the masses of ink tumbling down. More and more Searchers were gathering around Henry, reaching for him with their groans. They were starting to clamber around his legs, Ink filling his vision. A ringing started in his head. Red began to tint his vision. He looked over to the butcher gang who were fighting for their lives. _No no no no no no, don’t do this-_ A roar sounded as the inky vail descended upon the Searcher’s. They all popped like dark balloons. Henry looked up to The Demon, vision clearing of black flecks. They pointed to Joey and conjured a black ink portal. He was wrestling with Allison, trying to regain control over his remaining hand. 

“ALLISON!!!”, He called out.

She examined the scene and smiled. She threw the sword, the sharp tip landing in the ground, impaled. She ran away from Joey, slapping him along the way. She and the trio stood together, all of Joey’s attention on them. Henry yanked the blade from the floor and ran over to the demon. He grabbed his withered hand and they dived into the ink.

**It was dark. And cold. There was no light. For a second he could see everything. Every inch of the studio layed out before him.**

Light returned and yet it didn’t hurt his eyes. They were falling from the ceiling. The demon threw him forward, letting go, another portal materialising elsewhere. Henry aimed the sword, air clawing his face, stinging his eyes. Joey looked up. His soulless eyes widened with fear. 

The other ginormous hand vanished, nothing but a large puddle left. Everyone slowly recovered their senses, calming after their battle. Henry took heavy breaths, body buzzing with adrenaline. He stood up straight. Joey gagged and gasped as the metal gleamed in his chest. It seemed happy to deliver the final blow. He stared with wide eyes at the ceiling. Henry leaned close to his ear. With great satisfaction uwhispered.

**“Who’s laughing now?”**

There was one last breath. Henry pulled the sword from his chest, letting the limp body collapse to the floor. The head landed in a puddle of ink, staining his blonde hair. Henry glared at the body, turning to face the others. He smiled. The smile became a chuckle. The chuckle became laughter. It spread through the group, tears pouring from their eyes the harder they laughed. For the first time in many years, the employees of the studio were happy.  _It’s over._ Henry thought. _It’s over!_ He regained his composure and walked over to Tom. He patted him on the back. The demon walked over, his height not dominating for once. He gestured to the machine. The wolf and behemoth exchanged a look. Both smiled. They made their way to the machine. Tom picked up a wrench and unscrewed a metal sheet. One by one the screws dropped to the floor, followed by the clatter of the protective wall. Everyone looked at the demon. The smile grew wider. He plunged his hand into the machine, ripping out wires from the centre. Ink sprayed and electricity crackled before dying out. There was a moment of bliss.

Then the whole studio began to shake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HYPE


	10. To Hell And Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Consider this the good ending, since this probably won’t happen in game.
> 
> Writing this series has been an experience filled with a lot of emotions. I think I’m going to lie down. See you all on the other side of Chapter 5 and thank you for reading!

Dust and grit fell from the ceiling as the earth shook. Ink burst from cracks in the walls, the whole studio studio creaking. People stumbled, a few falling, unable to stand up on the moving ground. Henry looked about, heart rising at spotting a door.

”There!!!”, He said pointing to it.

They ran towards it, heart’s pounding in their chest. A lift lay just before them, old and decayed with age. He pressed the ‘OPEN’ button and watched it’s cage slide back. One by one the rest ran inside, frantic to get away from the crumbling monster of the studio. Henry hopped inside as well, watching as the ceiling collapsed in the previous room, spraying rubble and dust. He pressed the button labelled ‘Floor 1’ and watched as they moved up through the building. Familiar floors passed one by one, collapsing and breaking before his eyes, taking the awful memories with them. Henry frowned as he heard dripping. _That’s strange. All the ink here is spilling out in tons._ He looked at his hands. Slowly but steadily, getting faster and faster, Ink was melting from his body, his long forgotten skin emerged from it’s white veil. He looked to the others. Ink was dripping from them as well, horns vanishing, shrinking in size. Sammy’s second pair of arms dissolved and Tom’s muzzle vanished from his face, revealing a normal human mouth. The whole elevator shook and jerked as it crashed through something. One piece of wood managed to stab through the roof, almost impaling Norman. There was ding and they saw a path blocked by wood planks. Their hearts sank. Henry readied his axe and began to hack through it. The whole building shook more and vigorously, Ink spilling from every single crack and gap. Finally, a clear way out was cleared. He beckoned for the others to follow and they ran behind him. The ink spillage here was even worse. Henry passed a variety of familiar faces, ones who were dead or alive, all heading for the exit. Finally, the light came into view. He heard a thud and looked behind him. Laying face down one the ground, covered in dripping ink, was Wally. Allison reached out with a normal yet pale hand and grabbed his , helping him up on his injured feet. Finally, all others following close behind, Henry reached the door handle. Bright light blinded them all as they escaped the boundaries of their prison. Henry felt the sun touch his skin. He hadn’t realised how much he missed that sensation. Vivid colours surrounded them as the building finally collapsed with a loud crash. They watched as the door was crushed beneath wood planks and ink, sealing off the horrors for good. There was a moment of consideration. There were murmurs as people felt themselves, examining their newfound human forms. Joyous cries echoed as people reunited, exclamations of not being dead, kicking of the rubble of the studio. Police cars drew near, a crowd gathering at the sight. Henry didn’t care. He was too busy staring at the blue sky.

_Well. I guess some dreams do come true._

_I’m coming home Linda._


End file.
